Evolution Is the Name of the Game in Wenger's Quiet Premier League Revolution

That Arsenal stands atop the English Premier League soccer table two months into the season shouldn't come as a beguiling surprise. The Gunners, stalwarts of North London, are one of the world's power clubs after all—winners of 13 league championships and 10 F.A. Cups.

But this time, the remarkable thing about Arsenal's rise to the top from a distant third or fourth in each of the past seven seasons, is the route it took to get...